Preview: Bolton Wanderers v Nottingham Forest

Bolton Wanderers take on Nottingham Forest in the Sky Bet Championship this evening. With that being said, bwfc.co.uk have picked out five talking points to take into this clash

1. Squad Update

When speaking to bwfc.co.uk on Tuesday morning, assistant manager Steve Parkin gave an update on the team prior to Wednesday’s game against Nottingham Forest.

When asked about the state of the squad, Parkin said: “Gary O’Neil is out with a calf strain that he sustained at the weekend and won’t be fit.”

“Will Buckley has trained with the first team for a couple of days and we’ll assess him later.

“Everyone else is fit and well and has trained well in the last couple of days.”

2. Aitor Karanka

Entering his first full season as Forest boss, Karanka joined the Nottinghamshire club in January 2018, following on from Mark Warburton.

Looking back at his playing career, the defender is a three time winner of the UEFA Champions League, along with a Spanish La Liga title in 2000/01.

The former Spanish international called time on his playing career in 2006, moving into a coaching role with the Spanish U16 national team two years after.

Following roles as assistant manager at Real Madrid and manager of Middlesbrough, he took the reins at the City Ground.

Karanka’s last visit to the University of Bolton Stadium was certainly an eventful one, as Wanderers stayed in the Sky Bet Championship on the last day with a 3-2 victory over the Reds.

3. New faces at the City Ground

With a new season comes new signings and Nottingham Forest are no exception, as bwfc.co.uk take you through a selection of the Reds new arrivals.

Joao Carvalho joined on a permanent basis from Benfica for a reported fee of £13.2 million and has two goals and three assists to his name for Forest this Sky Bet Championship season.

The Portuguese Under-21 international spent his entire youth career at the Eagles, before having a short spell at Vitoria Setubal in 2017.

Fellow Portuguese youth international Tobias Figueiredo was signed on a permanent deal, after having a successful loan spell towards the end of the 2017/18 season.

The centre-back won various accolades during his time at former club Sporting CP, including a Taca de Portugal (F.A Cup) trophy in 2014/15, along with a Taca da Liga (Portuguese League Cup) in 2017/18.

Fellow Portuguese men Gil Dias and Diogo Goncalves have been brought in on loan from Monaco and Benfica respectively.

Forward Lewis Grabban signed from Bournemouth on a permanent deal in July 2018 and has set the stage alight since arriving.

He is the current top goal scorer for the Reds this season, with six goals in the Sky Bet Championship and an assist.

4. Game to remember

Let's set the scene. Wanderers rely on other results to avoid relegation from the Sky Bet Championship, as well as a must win game against Nottingham Forest.

At 85 minutes, the Whites were 3-1 down and looking certain for the drop… Step forward David Wheater and Aaron Wilbraham.

To relive the experience once again, see the link below:

5. Opposition’s current form

In Aitor Karanka’s last five league games, they have picked up eight points.

When looking towards the Reds away form, they have won one of their seven away clashes so far this year.

Having said that, they have only lost one game on their travels to Brentford, with the remaining four games ending in draws.